Ron Nichols is the general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Before participating in a panel on the future of solar energy in California, he confessed in the green room that although he’s a workaholic, he still can’t get everything the LADWP needs done as quickly as he’d like.
Q. Whose talent would you most like to have?
A. Bono’s. I love his music. And I would like to be his age and still be as popular and talented as he is.
Q. What’s the last thing you built?
A. A house-in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Q. What does L.A. have in common with Seattle, where you lived before moving here in 2011?
A. They’re both edgy cities in very different ways.
Q. What do you do when you can’t sleep?
A. I work.
Q. What would you bid for on eBay?
A. A classic wooden boat—a powerboat.
Q. What’s the most frequent question or complaint you receive about the LADWP?
A. [Laughs.] Why can’t your customer service be more friendly?
Q. What makes you impatient?
A. The inability to get the many things the LADWP needs to do done, faster.
Q. Where do you go to be alone?
A. The beach: Santa Monica.
Q. What’s your favorite season?
A. Fall. It’s a transition period that I find really refreshing.
Q. Describe yourself in five words or less.
A. Why relax when you can work?
Q. What word or phrase do you use most often?
A. Outstanding.
*Photo by Aaron Salcido.